Code Blue For Collingswood Through Sunday

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ - A Code Blue Weather Alert will be in effect for Camden County throughout the week, county officials announced on Tuesday. The Camden County Department of Public Works is also preparing for a potential storm.

The Health Officer issued the Code Blue advisory for Camden County effective from the following times:

• Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. until Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7 a.m.
• Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. THROUGH THE WHOLE DAY THURSDAY until Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 a.m.
• Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. until Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 a.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. until Sunday, Feb. 3 at 7 a.m.

“Forecasts show a mix of winter weather throughout the week, beginning with rain and snow tonight and leading to dangerous cold on Thursday with wind chill temperatures below zero,” Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, said. “In conditions like these, we want to place extra emphasis on the importance of getting everyone sheltered and out of the elements, checking on elderly relatives and neighbors and bringing your pets indoors.”

A minor system is expected to move through the area this afternoon delivering periods of light and heavy rain before turning to snow later Tuesday evening between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Snowfall will be steady at first and most of the accumulation is expected within the first hour.

A coating and 1” of accumulation is expected over the duration of the storm. Temperatures are then expected to drop quickly into the 20s and teens, freezing slush and wet areas. More snow is expected to fall on Wednesday as a windy, Arctic front brings fast-moving snow showers capable of producing an additional 1” of snow.

When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Code Blue, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate their immediate needs.

"During these extreme weather conditions, we encourage everyone to check on elderly or handicapped relatives and neighbors that live alone," Rodriguez said. "It is important that the most vulnerable among us are not left without heat or electricity."

The Camden County Health Department and the Office of Emergency Management have worked with each municipality to ensure they have the proper resources to respond to these severe weather situations as part of their individual Code Blue plans.

Each municipality has identified its own location to accommodate those in their community seeking shelter from the severe weather. Anyone seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality. In Collingswood, there are four warming centers:

• Collingswood Borough: 678 Haddon Avenue. Tel: 856-854-0720 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Collingswood Boro Library: 771 Haddon Avenue. Tel: 856-858-0649 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Collingswood Boro Senior Center: 30 West Collings Avenue. Tel: 856-854-4440 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Collingswood Fire House: 20 West Collings Avenue Tel: 856-854-1043 Open: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

The after hours Code Blue Emergency Hotline phone number is 833-254-9801. Additional resources are available by calling the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services at 800-999-9045, or by visiting www.camdencounty.com.

“Our CCDPW crews have been checking the plows and loading the salt trucks while continuing to monitor the latest weather forecasts,” Freeholder Susan Shin Angulo, liaison to the Camden County Department of Public Works said. “With rain and snow expected to create slippery roadways tonight when temperatures drop, our crews are already hard at work to keep traffic moving in Camden County.”

At the public works complex in Lindenwold, more than 100 pieces of equipment are available to keep county roadways passable. When the weather becomes treacherous, personnel will be dispatched to 12 winter maintenance districts to salt and plow 1,200 lane miles of roadways across Camden County. The county’s response plan calls for crews to be dispatched only to the zones where they are needed.

“If you don’t have to travel, please stay off the roads to give our crews the ability to effectively do their job. Anyone on the roadways during the storm should be prepared to encounter slick road conditions. Always leave at least six car lengths behind our DPW vehicles while they work, and move any cars off the street and into a driveway while we continue our operations,” Shin Angulo said. “Remember that it is illegal in New Jersey to plow or shovel snow from private property into roadways.”

In case of a power outage please report it directly to the appropriate utility provider list below:

• PSE&G: 1-800-436-PSEG (7734)
• PSE&G website: http://pseg.com/home/customer_service/outage_info/index.jsp
• Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-833-7476; http://www.atlanticcityelectric.com/home/
• South Jersey Gas: 1-800-582-7060
• South Jersey Gas website: http://southjerseygas.com/

As always, use 911 for emergencies only. Anyone who sees a problem on a county road should call the county's 24-hour hotline at 856-566-2980 to report it to DPW.

With more than 75 percent of households in Camden County owning a cat or a dog Rodriguez wants to ensure that all pets are safe during these extreme temperatures as well. Here are some tips for keeping pets safe and warm:

• When the thermometer dips below 32 degrees, keep your pet indoors as much as possible. If your pet must stay outside, provide a warm shelter, raised a few inches off the ground, with the opening facing away from the wind and covered with a burlap or plastic flap. The shelter should be large enough for the animal to stand and turn around, but small enough to retain its body heat.
• If your pet is outdoors for extended periods when temperatures are below freezing (32 degrees), be alert for signs of distress from the cold. Just like in people, shivering is a sign that the body temperature is dropping. If you see your pet shivering, it is probably time to bring it inside. Remember, your pet's body temperature is between 101-102 degrees and its body temperature lowers faster in cold weather.
• A very young, very old pet or a pet with a health problem is more vulnerable to cold.
• An animal with thick fur can tolerate cold longer than a small animal and one with short hair.
• Don't leave your pet in an unheated vehicle for extended periods of time.
• Make sure your pet has clean unfrozen drinking water. Do not let your pet drink from puddles where there may be deadly antifreeze or other harmful chemicals.
• A pet can pick up rock salt, ice and other melting chemicals in their foot pads. This can harm your pet. Massaging petroleum jelly into paw pads before going outside helps to protect from salt and chemical agents. Moisturizing after a good toweling off helps to heal chapped paws. Wipe your pet's feet with a damp cloth when it comes inside to protect its pads from damage. If this is a problem for your pet, there are boots available in all sizes. Your dog can get used to wearing the boots indoors for short periods of time. Not all dogs take to them.
• If there are outside cats in the neighborhood, knock on the hood of your vehicle and look under it before starting your engine and driving off. Cats sometimes curl up next to or under warm engines when they are left out in the cold.
• Antifreeze has an attractive scent and taste for animals and is extremely poisonous! Be especially vigilant about the ingestion of antifreeze. The first sign of antifreeze poisoning is a pet that appears drunk. Immediately get your pet to the vet if you suspect it has ingested antifreeze as it can be fatal within four to eight hours of ingestion.

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